Barley Stuffed Baby Bell Peppers

I was invited to a friendly potluck in October, where there was to be a mix of meat and vegetarian eaters. My CSA gave us some cute baby bell peppers which I thought would  make an elegant and colorful dish for the party. I added a few things I wouldn't normally, to try and appeal to some of the other eaters, like soy cheese and faux meat.

1/2 Cup Pearl Barley
1.5 cups Vegetable stock
1 medium white onion
2 cloves garlic
1-2 carrots, or ~15 baby carrots
1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
15 baby sweet peppers or 1-2 regular sized bell peppers
Basil, thyme, oregano, salt, pepper, cumin, cilantro to taste
Optional: Faux meat like vegan sausage or chicken-less strips

Combine the pearl barley and vegetable broth in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Let cook until tender (about 45 minutes).

While barley is cooking, wash the bell peppers. Cut around the top and remove the seeds. Since some of my peppers were so tiny I made a small incision down one side so that I could add more stuffing to each pepper.

Preheat oven to 325.

Add 1 tbsp olive oil (or any cooking oil) to a frying pan over medium heat. Chop onion, mince garlic, and if using, chop the chicken/sausage pieces. Add the garlic and onion to the frying pan and cook until onion is translucent, stirring occasionally (5 minutes). Add the faux meat, and cook until browned or heated through (check the package instructions).

Chop carrots and combine with onions/garlic/meat mixture and now cooked barley into a large mixing bowl. I warmed frozen peas by adding water to the measuring cup containing the half cup peas and microwaved for about 45 seconds. Drain and add to the bowl. Add spices to taste, typically about 1/2 tsp of basil, thyme, and cumin. A couple shakes of oregano and cilantro. Depending on the vegetable broth used with the barley, the amount of salt and pepper will vary. Mix well.

Stuff the peppers with filling. And place in a baking pan.

Bake for ~30 minutes. The peppers should just start to wrinkle around the top. If you want, add a little bit of daiya vegan mozzarella cheese.